Marisa Martinez, 13, was playing basketball with a neighbor and a friend when she saw an adult man run and scoop up an 8-year-old boy from his driveway, where he was hanging out. Marisa told the local news station in Modesto, California, that she was scared, but her instincts had kicked in when she went and pulled on the kidnapper, all the while screaming for her mother.

Marisa got a hold of the boy and the kidnapper ran away. He was later caught by police a few blocks away and has been identified as 32-year-old John Jenkins, a registered sex offender.

Police are shocked by Marisa's move and are astonished that the kidnapper didn't harm her. Her extremely risky and dangerous move paid off, though. The boy was unharmed and the perp is now behind bars.

Marisa's being hailed a hero, and rightfully so. She had no idea that Jenkins was a sex offender, but she did know that something was wrong. Her actions not only saved the boy from certain harm, but probably saved his life, as well. As TheHuffington Post points out, of those kidnappings where the child is found dead, the murder usually happens within the first three hours of abduction.

Had Marisa not acted, who knows what horrors, or what fate, the boy faced in the hands of Jenkins. She was in the position to help, and she did what she knew she had to do. It must have been incredibly frightening, but Marisa was as brave as a soldier.

Not only did she save a little boy, but she's also responsible for the capture of a sick individual out to harm kids. Jenkins has been charged with kidnapping and child molestation.